Wallis Lee A, Twomey Michele
Joint Division of Emergency Medicine, University of Cape Town and Stellenbosch University, W Cape.
S Afr Med J. 2007 Dec;97(12):1276-80.
Little is known about the nature of patients presenting to emergency departments (EDs) in South Africa. This study aimed to provide evidence on ED usage in Cape Town by studying patients at four community health centre (CHC) EDs, with details of the severity of their presentation and their disposal.
A total of 16,392 patients presented in this 8-week prospective observational study, and 15,681 were included in the descriptive data analysis. One-quarter were children.
There were clear and predictable peaks in attendance after 1600 hr and at weekends, with a steady stream of patients presenting overnight. Case severity was evenly distributed between emergency, urgent and routine care. Nearly 10% of patients were referred on to a higher level of care.
The data from this study present a model for staffing and resource allocation. It has implications for the provision of emergency care in CHC EDs.
对于南非急诊科（ED）患者的情况，我们了解甚少。本研究旨在通过对四个社区卫生中心急诊科的患者进行研究，提供开普敦急诊科使用情况的证据，包括患者就诊时的严重程度细节及其处置情况。
在这项为期8周的前瞻性观察研究中，共有16392名患者前来就诊，15681名患者被纳入描述性数据分析。四分之一为儿童。
16:00之后以及周末出现了明显且可预测的就诊高峰，夜间也有源源不断的患者前来。病例严重程度在急诊、紧急和常规护理之间均匀分布。近10%的患者被转诊至更高水平的护理机构。
本研究的数据提供了人员配备和资源分配的模式。它对社区卫生中心急诊科的急诊护理提供具有启示意义。
